#873 North Carolina · 2026

Pasquotank County, North Carolina

63.0 · moderate-high county distress 873rd of 3,144 counties nationally · 41,444 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
9% Pasquotank residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 41 words · paste-ready

Pasquotank County, North Carolina ranks 873rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 873rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 63.0 · moderate-high county distress, 30th in North Carolina.
  • 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 93rd percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 25% — national median 21%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Child poverty rate at 23% — national median 18%, ranked at the 74th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Debt in collections at 30% — national median 23%, ranked at the 74th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 93rd percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

Boundary Signal

Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 34-point drop to Camden County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Pasquotank County, North Carolina and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Pasquotank and its 3 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Pasquotank County ranks 873rd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Pasquotank County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 31 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

4.0% -0.4 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

15.3% -2.4 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

30.3% +21.4 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

32.7% -7.3 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Pasquotank County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Pasquotank County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Pasquotank County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Pasquotank NC median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 84 · Rank 416 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 77th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 7% 5% 93rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 33% 28% 23% 82nd Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 53 · Rank 1,418 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 30% 27% 23% 74th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 92 87 126 32nd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 72 · Rank 674 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 25% 22% 21% 78th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 20% 19% 18% 66th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 46 · Rank 1,645 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 46th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 61 · Rank 1,150 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 23% 21% 18% 74th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 15% 17% 16% 43rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 16% 15% 14% 65th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 10% 10% 8% 63rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 84
Weight 20% · Rank 416 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 72
Weight 20% · Rank 674 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 61
Weight 20% · Rank 1,150 of 3,144
Default & Legal 53
Weight 20% · Rank 1,418 of 3,144
Labor 46
Weight 20% · Rank 1,645 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Pasquotank County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
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ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Pasquotank County ranks 873rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 63.0 out of 100 gives Pasquotank a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 872 counties rank more distressed. Within North Carolina, Pasquotank ranks 30th of 100 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Pasquotank. 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pasquotank County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Pasquotank County scores 63.0 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 873rd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 30th of 100 North Carolina counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Pasquotank County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 84. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 93rd percentile nationally.

How does Pasquotank County compare to its neighbors?

Pasquotank County's neighbors span two CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Gates County (57.98, moderate county distress). Lowest: Camden County (23.52, low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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